Almere, Netherlands

Almere is a new town a little to the east of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It’s quite interesting in terms of self build and custom build because in the Homeruspark district there are very few restrictions on what people can build. Serviced plots are available at a reasonable cost and then there are a few basic rules such as the maximum number of storeys. This kind of approach is very unusual in Europe and is the kind of thing that would cause cardiac arrests for most local planning officers in the UK.

What do people go for? Well there’s everything from Modernist to traditional Dutch copies, log cabins to err… you name it.

While the Dutch like their brickwork there are quite a few examples of timber frame and kit houses

Yes, the one in the middle is a house.

Although this is not strictly speaking eco-housing there are quite high levels of insulation and energy harvesting